Ganymede (mythology)
| Ganymede | |
|---|---|
Cupbearer to the gods | |
Roman marble bust depicting Ganymede, dating to the 2nd century, now at the Louvre | |
| Abode | Mount Olympus |
| Genealogy | |
| Parents | Tros and Callirhoe or Acallaris |
| Siblings | Ilus, Assaracus, Cleopatra, Cleomestra |
In Greek mythology, Ganymede (/ˈɡænɪmiːd/ GAN-im-eed) or Ganymedes (/ˌɡænɪˈmiːdiːz/ GAN-im-EE-deez; Ancient Greek: Γανυμήδης, romanized: Ganymēdēs) is a divine hero whose homeland was Troy. Homer describes Ganymede as the most handsome of mortals and tells the story of how he was abducted by the gods to serve as Zeus's cup-bearer in Olympus. The Latin form of the name was Catamitus (and also "Ganymedes"), from which the English word catamite is derived. The earliest forms of the myth have no erotic content, but by the 5th century BCE it was believed that Zeus had a sexual passion for him. Socrates says that Zeus was in love with Ganymede, called "desire" in Plato's Phaedrus; but in Xenophon's Symposium, Socrates argues Zeus loved him for his mind and their relationship was not sexual. By the early modern period, the event was termed a "rape" with little distinction from equivalent female abductees like Io, Europa, or Callisto.
According to Dictys Cretensis, Ganymede was instead abducted by the Cretans.